Method and apparatus for producing a stair protective tread

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a method of forming a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet of flooring product by supporting the flat sheet of flooring product against a vertical support member and rotating a roller against the sheet with concurrent application of sufficient pressure so that the flat sheet of flooring product is forced against the vertical support member until it is bent to the curvature of the roller at the point where the roller contacts the sheet.

United States Patent Karpfen [4 1 Aug. 15, 1972 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 377,336 l/l888 Stasch ..72/459 PRODUCING A STAIR PROTECTIVE 842,994 2/1907 Baldwin ..72/152 TREAD Primary Examiner-Richard J. Herbst [72] Inventor: Lee Karpfen, 34 Nassau St., Elmont, Assistant Examine, Michae| Kenna" 1 1003 Attorney-Kenneth S. Goldfarb [22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No: 86,200

This invention relates to a method of forming a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet of [52] US. Cl. 72/152, 72/310, 72/306, fl i d t b supporting the flat sheet of floor- 72/389 ing product against a vertical support member and [51] Int. Cl. ..B2ld 7/04 rotating a roller against the sheet with concurrent ap- [58] Field of Search "72/310, 319, 210, 387, 216, plication of sufficient pressure so that the flat sheet of 72/411, 389, 306, 3l 1, 149, 152, 199,459; flooring product is forced against the vertical support 29/2435, 243.57, 243.58, 509, 240 member until it is bent to the curvature of the roller at the point where the roller contacts the sheet. 56 R f C'ted 1 e erences I 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,273 6/ 1942 Enghauser ..-72/2l6 Z r L A jg PATENTEDws 15 I972 l Kw'?""\- Fla. 7 INVENTOR.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A STAIR PROTECTIVE TREAD This invention relates to stair protective treads and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for making a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product having a bottom metallic layer.

In the past, floor coverings of a protective nature have been manufactured from flexible plastic materials having the ability of conforming to the shape of the surface being covered or from metallic based materials which are highly durable over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, the utility of metallic based materials has been confined largely to the covering of flat surfaces due to the fact that methods of bending or molding these materials, heretofore provided, have a tendency to cause unsightly goring or marring of the surface of the covering.

Generally, floor coverings are used over carpeted surfaces in areas or pathways subject to a great deal of traffic. It is especially desirable to protect the carpeting on stairs from wearing thin because of the relatively high expense involved in replacing the carpeting in a small area. Flexible plastic materials have been used almost exclusively as stair treads because of their low cost and the ease of laying a continuous strip of plastic over the series of horizontal and vertical surfaces of a staircase, notwithstanding the fact that such materials are prone to being torn and cut when constantly in use. Previously, the primary disadvantage of using molded metallic based materials as stair treads was their unattractive appearance caused by surface marring due to the various clamping devices used to mold a portion of the tread to fit snugly around the lip of a stair.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product having a bottom metallic layer, which stair tread fits snugly around the lip of a stair and has a smooth unmarred surface appearance.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a stair protective tread which is permanently secured to the horizontal surface of a stair and snugly around its lip by means which are not visible on its sur' face.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a stair protectivetread which is extremely sturdy and durable and which does not have to be replaced after it has been securely applied to the horizontal surface of a stair.

An additional object of this invention resides in the provision of a device for making a stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product, which device will not mar, scratch, or otherwise injure the surface of the tread.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of a device for making a stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product, which device is automatically operated by remote control.

Still another object of this invention resides in the provision of a device for making a stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product, which device is capable of imparting any desirable contours to the stair tread.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of a molded stair tread which is attractive in appearance, easy to install, and capable of being maintained in a clean condition with a minimum amount of effort. Furthermore, the device used to make the molded stair tread is inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to operate, and requires a minimum amount of floor space. 7

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of this invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this method of forming a molded stair tread and apparatus therefor, preferred embodiments of which have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a device for molding stair treads having a roller of smaller diameter tangentially disposed with respect to a roller of a larger diameter which, as it rotates, forces the smaller diameter roller against a flat sheet flooring product until it is bent to the curvature of the roller having the smaller diameter;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the device with a flat sheet of flooring product inserted in a slit provided along the entire length of the larger diameter roller just prior to the molding of the flooring product;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the device and flooring product after the larger diameter roller has been rotated to cause bending of the flat sheet flooring product to the curvature of the smaller diameter roller;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the smaller diameter roller which has had two detachable sleeves placed thereon to increase its effective diameter;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of another embodiment of the device having two rollers tangentially disposed along and of smaller diameter than a larger diameter roller, each of the two rollers being of different sizes so that different contours may be provided to the stair tread;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stair protective tread which has been molded from a flat sheet of flooring product having a bottom metallic layer and an upper layer of flooring product in accordance with the concepts of the invention, the downwardly bent portion of the tread being able to fit snugly around the lip of a stair; and,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical view in section of the stair protective tread showing the manner in which the tread may be secured to the horizontal surface of a stair without marring its surface appearance.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings, particularly with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the device of the present invention. The device 10 includes a base, generally designated as 12, which has a bottom 14, and upwardly extending sides 16 and 18. A vertical support member 20, extending between sides 16 and 18, rises from the bottom 14 of the base 12. An elongated shaft 22 also extends between sides 16 and 18 and is secured thereto by journals 24 fastened by screws 26. A first roller 28 is rotatably supported on shaft 22. A second roller 30, having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the first roller 28, is mounted so that it is tangentially disposed with respect to first roller 28 on shaft 22 by means of a plate 32 which is connected to the ends 34 of second roller 30 and also rigidly fastened to the larger roller 28 with evenly spaced screws 36. A slit is provided along the entire length of roller 28 for insertion of an edge of a flat sheet of flooring product 40, which will be described more fully hereinafter. The slit 38 is so located in roller 28 that when flooring product 40 is inserted therein with a portion thereof substantially removed from its free end resting upon the edge 42 of vertical support member 20, the flooring product 40 assumes a tangential position with respect to smaller roller 30. With the device thus readied for operation, a motor 44 which drives shaft 22 is started by remote control causing shaft 22 and larger roller 28 to rotate in the direction of arrow 46 and force the smaller roller 30 against the flat sheet of flooring product 40 until a portion 46 of the flooring product 40 lies parallel to vertical support 20 and the flat sheet of flooring product 40 is bent until it assumes the curvature of smaller roller 30, as can best be seen in FIG. 3, at the point 48 where the smaller roller 30 contacts the flooring product 40.

The size of the smaller roller 30 will depend upon the amount of curvature desired in the stair tread. If it should be necessary to vary the curvature, the diameter of smaller roller 30 can be effectively increased by placing as many sleeves 52 and 52a around smaller roller 30 as needed.

FIG. diagrammatically illustrates a further embodiment of the invention in which a device, generally designated as 56, is outfitted with two rollers 58 and 60 having smaller diameters than roller 28 and tangentially disposed with respect thereto. Rollers 58 and 60 are secured to shaft 22 by a plate, not shown, in a manner similar to that described hereinabove. Vertical support members may be detachably connected to base 12 adjacent roller 58 or 60, depending upon which one is chosen for a particular operation. Device 56 operates in all respects identically to device 10, described hereinabove.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is seen the stair protective tread, generally designated by 62, which has been molded by the device described hereinabove from a flat sheet of flooring product, such as is illustrated in FIG. 2. Protective tread 62 has a tread portion 68 and a riser portion 70 integrally connected to one another by an arcuate edge portion 76. The flooring product consists of two layers. The bottom layer 64 is a heavy duty metal or alloy thereof, and the upper layer 66 is a conventional washable floor covering, such as linoleum or vinyl plastic material. The two layers are held together by any suitable adhesive.

The tread 62 is molded so that it is bent downwardly and inwardly at inner corner 48 by application of pressure from smaller roller 30 against the flat sheet of flooring product 40. When placed over a stair, inner corner 48 and riser or flange 70 fit snugly over and around the lip overlying the vertical surface of the stair. Several holes 72, not seen, are evenly spaced over the metallic layer 64 in order to facilitate securement of the tread or surface 68 to the horizontal surface of a stair by means of screws 74. Circular holes are cut into the upper layer 66 of conventional floor covering directly above and concentric to the holes in lower metallic layer 64. Circular sections of the floor covering 72 having a slightly smaller diameter than the circular holes cut into upper layer 66 are countersunk, as is depicted in FIG. 7, in these holes to give the stair protective tread a smooth unmarred attractive appearance.

It will be appreciated that the molded stair tread of this invention provides permanent protection of the stair to which it is secured until it is desirable to remove it. In addition, the surface of the tread is not scratched, cut, gored, or otherwise defaced when molded by the device described herein. Furthermore, the upper layer of floor covering of the tread can be fabricated in any one of a number of attractive textures and colors, besides being extremely easy to care for.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

I claim:

1. A method of forming a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product having a bottom metallic layer and an upper layer of a flooring product, said upper and lower layers being held together by an adhesive .coating comprising the steps of placing a flat sheet flooring product against a vertical support member with the free end of said product being inserted into slit means disposed along the length of first roller means spaced from a point located about midway along said vertical support member and rotatably supported on a base by shaft means secured to said base at each end, said slit means being located in a line tangential to the periphery of second roller means which are tangentially disposed in a fixed position with respect to said first roller means, said second roller means having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of said first roller means, and driving said first roller means so that it rotates in the direction of said flat sheet flooring product and forces said second roller means against said flat sheet flooring product until said flat sheet product is bent to the curvature of said second roller means at the point where said second roller means contacts said flat sheet product.

2. A device for making a stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product comprising a base, a vertical support member rising from said base, shaft means, means for joumalling said shaft means on said base, first roller means being rotatably supported on said shaft means, second roller means having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of said first roller means, means rotatably mounting said second roller means on said shaft means for swinging movement about said shaft means and tangentially with respect to said first roller means, said first roller means having a slit therein in a line tangential to the periphery of said second roller means for insertion of an edge of a flat sheet flooring product therein, drive means connected to said shaft means for rotating said shaft means and said first roller means and forcing said second roller means tangentially against the flat sheet until a portion of said flat sheet lies parallel to said vertical support member and said flat sheet flooring product is bent to base for securing a detachable vertical support member thereto adjacent each of said second roller means.

4. A device for making a stair protective tread according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of detachable sleeves are provided for placement around said second roller means for increasing the effective diameter thereof. 

1. A method of forming a molded stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product having a bottom metallic layer and an upper layer of a flooring product, said upper and lower layers being held together by an adhesive coating comprising the steps of placing a flat sheet flooring product against a vertical support member with the free end of said product being inserted into slit means disposed along the length of first roller means spaced from a point located about midway along said vertical support member and rotatably supported on a base by shaft means secured to said base at each end, said slit means being located in a line tangential to the periphery of second roller means which are tangentially disposed in a fixed position with respect to said first roller means, said second roller means having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of said first roller means, and driving said first roller means so that it rotates in the direction of said flat sheet flooring product and forces said second roller means against said flat sheet flooring product until said flat sheet product is bent to the curvature of said second roller means at the point where said second roller means contacts said flat sheet product.
 2. A device for making a stair protective tread from a flat sheet flooring product comprising a base, a vertical support member rising from said base, shaft means, means for journalling said shaft means on said base, first roller means being rotatably supported on said shaft means, second roller means having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of said first roller means, means rotatably mounting said second roller means on said shaft means for swinging movement about said shaft means and tangentially with respect to said first roller means, said first roller means having a slit therein in a line tangential to the periphery of said second roller means for insertion of an edge of a flat sheet flooring product therein, drive means connected to said shaft means for rotating said shaft means and said first roller means and forcing said second roller means tangentially against the flat sheet until a portion of said flat sheet lies parallel to said vertical support member and said flat sheet flooring product is bent to the curvature of said second roller means at the point where said second roller means contacts the flat sheet flooring product.
 3. A device for making a stair protective tread according to claim 2, including more than one second roller means being tangentially disposed along said first roller means, each of said second roller means having different diameters, and means being provided in said base for securing a detachable vertical support member thereto adjacent each of said second roller means.
 4. A device for making a stair protective tread according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of detachable sleeves are provided for placement around said second roller means for increasing the effective diameter thereof. 